Rude Mechanicals in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream - Video & Lesson Transcript | Study.com Rude Mechanicals in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream Watch short & fun videos Start Your Free Trial Today An error occurred trying to load this video. Try refreshing the page, or contact customer support. You must create an account to continue watching Register for a free trial Are you a student or a teacher? I am a student Start Your Free Trial To Continue Watching As a member, you'll also get unlimited access to over lessons in math, English, science, history, and more. Plus, get practice tests, quizzes, and personalized coaching to help you succeed. Coming up next: Shakespeare's The Taming Of The Shrew: Summary & Analysis You're on a roll. Keep up the good work! Your next lesson will play in 10 seconds 0:01 Who Are the Rude Mechanicals? 1:59 Act One, Scene Two 2:40 Act Three, Scene One 3:46 Act Four, Scene Two 4:06 Act Five, Scene One 5:49 Lesson Summary Add to Add to Add to Want to watch this again later?

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Premium Edition: You can share your Custom Course by copying and pasting the course URL. Only Study.com members will be able to access the entire course. Create an account to start this course today Try it free for 5 days! Instructor: Richard Davis Richard teaches college writing and has a master's degree in creative writing. What are rude mechanicals? Unfortunately, they are not ill-tempered robots, as the name might suggest. However, the rude mechanicals are still an essential part of Shakespeare's 'A Midsummer Night's Dream.' In this lesson, we'll identify the members of the group and discuss the comedic role the rude mechanicals play. Who Are the Rude Mechanicals? 'Rude Mechanicals' isn't just a cool name for a band. In fact, the phrase refers to a specific group of characters in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. The rude mechanicals are skilled laborers, or craftsmen, from Athens who want to put on a play for the city's royalty. There are six members in this group. The leader of the group is Peter Quince, the carpenter. Quince chooses the play, assigns the parts, and directs the actors as they rehearse.

He also delivers the prologue, a speech before the play starts, in the play the rude mechanicals put on. The next member is Snug, the joiner, a kind of carpenter who makes doors, window frames, and cabinets. He claims to be 'slow of study,' so he is happy to play the part of the lion. The third, and most important, member of the group is Nick Bottom. Bottom has an overblown sense of self-confidence, so his ego goes overboard when he is given the lead part in the play: Pyramus. Additionally, Bottom is the only one of the rude mechanicals who interacts extensively with characters outside of the group. In fact, he becomes the love interest of Titania, the queen of the fairies. The fourth member of the group is Francis Flute, the bellows-mender. Flute is disappointed when he learns he will be playing the part of Thisby, the lady who falls in love with Pyramus. The fifth member of the group is Tom Snout, the tinker - a craftsman who works with metals. Quince casts him as Pyramus' father.

However, because the rude mechanicals can't afford to build a set for their play, Snout plays the part of a wall. The sixth member of the group is Robin Starveling, the tailor. Originally, he is supposed to play the part of Thisby's mother, but he ends up playing the part of 'moonshine.' This is because Pyramus and Thisby meet under the light of the moon, and the rude mechanicals don't know if there will be a window in the room where they'll be performing. What happens to them? As a group, the rude mechanicals only appear in four scenes. Let's look at each of these individually. Act One, Scene Two The rude mechanicals first appear in Act One, Scene Two. Quince has called a meeting at his house, and he announces that the group will be performing the play 'Pyramus and Thisby', which tells the story of two lovers whose parents forbid them to be together. Sounds like Romeo and Juliet, doesn't it? Quince assigns the parts, but Bottom attempts to take over the meeting, volunteering to play every part himself.

Quince gets Bottom to calm down, appealing to his ego with the following lines: 'You can play no part but Pyramus; for Pyramus is a sweet-faced man; a proper man, as one shall see in a summer's day; a most lovely gentleman-like man: therefore you must needs play Pyramus.' Act Three Scene One The next scene the rude mechanicals appear in is Act Three, Scene One. The group meets to rehearse in the woods outside of Athens. During this rehearsal, Bottom makes several suggestions to make the play more 'suitable' for the royal audience. First, he instructs Quince to write a prologue that explains that the violence in the play isn't real. Next, he suggests that the lion should give a brief speech when he first enters, explaining to the ladies in the audience that he isn't a real lion. Finally, he suggests that the moonshine and the wall should be played by actors. Once the actors actually start rehearsing, a mischievous fairy named Puck casts a spell that turns Bottom's head into a donkey's head. When the other rude mechanicals see Bottom's new head, they flee in terror.

Soon after, the fairy queen Titania, who is under a love spell, enters and immediately falls in love with Bottom. All the while, Bottom is unaware of his new appearance. Later in the play, when the fairies end the spell on Bottom and let him go, Bottom believes that his experience in the woods was just a dream. Act Four, Scene Two The next scene in which the rude mechanicals appear is Act Four, Scene Two. Once again, the group is gathered in Quince's house, but Bottom is nowhere to be found. The rude mechanicals are anxious because they cannot put on their play without a leading man. Suddenly, Bottom enters, unwilling to explain what happened in the woods but eager to get ready for the play. × What's It All About, Shakespeare?: The Role of The Rude Mechanicals in A Midsummer Night’s Dream The Role of The Rude Mechanicals in A Midsummer Night’s Dream Who are Shakespeare's Rude Mechanicals? All three strands of A Midsummer Night's Dream's plot are humorous and, often, ridiculous. However, the foolish Rude Mechanicals with their bastardisation of Pyramus and Thisbe really do take the cake.

What's really unusual about the Mechanicals is that they're incredibly dense. Why's that unusual? Well, typically, Shakespeare's fools and/or clowns are actually very savvy, worldly-wise folk. Moreover, Shakespeare seems to have had a penchant for creating 'working class' characters that are much more intelligent than their 'betters'. Think, for example, of the opening of Julius Caesar. The Mechanicals, on the other hand, are clowns in our modern interpretation of the word - idiots whom we laugh at rather than with. Who Are The Mechanicals of A Midsummer Night's Dream? We first meet the six Mechanicals at Quince's home in Athens, as they begin preparations for their play. Peter Quince (Carpenter) - Quince is, supposedly, the leader of their little acting troupe. He's also the director and writer of their play. However, he's writing is appalling and he doesn't really seem to know what he's doing, allowing many of his own ideas to be railroaded by those of Bottom. Nick Bottom really is an ass Nick Bottom (Weaver) - Although all of the Mechanicals are stupid and foolish, Bottom really is in a league of his own.

Bottom by name, and an arse by nature, Nick Bottom is not just a prize pillock, but also an arrogant oaf, who seems to believe that he could put on a one-man production of Pyramus and Thisbe. Francis Flute (Bellows-mender) - Assigned the part of Thisbe, a fair maid (similar to Shakespeare's very own Juliet), Flute conveniently has a "beard coming". As it turns out, this is of no consequence, as Quince insists he'll be wearing a mask. Robin Starveling (Tailor) - Originally cast in the role of Thisbe's mother, Starveling actually goes on to play the part of 'Moonshine', and creates one of the most humorous moments of A Midusmmer Night's Dream, when he attempts to portray the moon with a lantern. Tom Snout (Tinker) - Like Robin Starveling, Snout's original role was not the one he ultimately played. Earmarked to perform as Pyramus' father, this was dropped when the company realised they would need a wall through which the young lovers speak.

Snout's wall and beautifully crafted chink make for a memorable role, even though Snout only has eight lines as himself and two as the wall. Snug (Joiner) - Snug, only ever known by his surname, is cast as the lion. He is "slow of study" and concerned that he will not be able to learn his lines - his 'lines', of course, consisting of nothing more than roars. He also seems to be quite a timid character and is often played this way to enhance the comedic effect of his performance as lion. What Purpose do The Mechanicals Serve? Was Shakespeare spoofing Robert Dudley when he wrote Robin Starveling? I think we're on pretty safe ground in saying that the only purpose the Rude Mechnicals serve is a comedic one. The question is what kind of humour is being elicited, and is it possible for us to 'get' all of the comedy of the play today? Well, some of it's plain and ageless enough: Their repeated oxymorons, "most lamentable comedy"; Bottom's diva-like behaviour, "That will ask some tears in the true performing of it"; and the complete hash that is the product of their attempts at amateur dramatics.

However, could there be more to it than that? Well, some people suggest that there is a satirical edge to Shakespeare's Mechanicals. The part of Robin Starveling, for example, may have references to Robert Dudley and/or Robert Devereux. Both of these men were, at one time, suitors to Queen Elizabeth and to both Elizabeth gave the pet name Robin. And yet another rival for Elizabeth's love, Francois Alencon may also be indicated by the character of Francis Flute. Of course, whether these men were really on Shakespeare's mind as he wrote A Midsummer Night's Dream, we'll never know. However, it was certainly not beyond him to brazenly tease, and sometimes even place himself in danger, with the content of his plays. Why Do The Rude Mechanicals Differ From Shakespeare's Other Working Class Characters? Had Shakespeare met actors and writers like the Rude Mechanicals? Undoubtedly foolish, the Mechanicals can never be described as 'fools', at least not in the Shakespearean sense of the word. Shakespeare's fools are, without exception, linguistically talented and riddle-posing, often making their more educated masters appear foolish.

And Shakespeare often makes his 'working class' characters quick-witted. So, why is it different with A Midsummer Night's Dream? Well, it may be Shakespeare's way of ridiculing those who take an amateur stab at his profession. Is he trying to point out that writing and performing plays is not as easy as it looks? Or is it less to do with amateur dramatics and more to do with the theatrical profession in general? After all, Shakespeare is bound to have met his fair share of Nick Bottoms! For more on Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, read about the young lovers of the play here . Posted by What is the role of the mechanicals in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream ? | eNotes What is the role of the mechanicals in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream ? Tamara K. H. | Middle School Teacher | (Level 3) Educator Emeritus Posted on August 26, 2012 at 5:26 AM The role of the mechanicals is to support two of Shakespeare's central themes in A Midsummer Night's Dream. The two themes are the foolishness of mankind and reality vs. illusion.

We especially see the mechanicals presenting the theme of foolishness in Puck's reaction to their rehearsal. Puck rightly sees that the mechanicals are too uneducated and inexperienced to present a well-performed play, as we see in Puck's line, "What hempen home-spuns have we swagg'ring here" (III.i.70). Not only have they thought of ridiculous solutions to there problems with the play's set, such as having actors play the part of the wall and the moon, they are all bungling up their lines. One example is a line Bottom delivers just before Puck turns him into a donkey, "Thisbe, the flowers of odious savors sweet--" (75). Clearly, odious is the wrong word because it means repulsive or disgusting. Obviously it does not make sense to compare Thisbe to flowers that smell disgustingly. It is this sort of lack of education, coupled with Bottom's conceit, that inspires Puck to turn Bottom into a donkey, proving just what a fool Bottom truly is.

Later, Puck expands his judgement of Bottom to include all mankind in his famous line, "Lord, what fools these mortals be!," showing us that the mechanicals help portray Shakespeare's theme that all mankind is foolish (III.ii.116). The mechanicals also serve the role of portraying the theme illusion vs. reality. The mechanicals have an illusion of putting on a grand performance, but the reality is, as we see, that they are too uneducated and too unskilled. Not only do the mechanicals portray the theme illusion vs. reality, they are the only characters in the play who allow their own reality to be manipulated by their illusions. All other characters have their realities manipulated for them or despite them. They manipulate their own reality by allowing fantasies of their performance cloud their reality; then, when reality hits, we see that the mechanicals' performance is sadly criticized by the royal audience. Hence, we see through the mechanicals that reality is oftentimes influenced by illusion. Sources: Start your free trial for complete access to this answer and thousands more. Homework Help 300,000+ answers or ask real teachers questions on any subject.

30,000+ Study Guides Save time with thousands of teacher-approved book and topic summaries. On the Go Access Know Before You Go - A Midsummer Night's Dream Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream: Subject to Transformation By Shirley Fishman Although it is uncertain exactly when Midsummer was first written or performed, or under what circumstances, with the publication of the First Folio in 1623 (which contained stage directions and act divisions for the first time), the play has held the stage in one form or another for more than four centuries. During England's Interregnum (1649-1660), when Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell dismantled most public playhouses, actors were left without any means of plying their art. Borrowing scenes from well-known Elizabethan plays, they added dancing and other entertainments, performing them secretly to make money. They traveled to Germany in the 18th century, with scenes lifted from the rude mechanicals' play Pyramus and Thisbe and others appropriated from the play for satiric "drolls," entertainments beloved for their physical comedy and wit.

Felix Mendelssohn was 17 in 1826 when he wrote the overture to Midsummer to popular acclaim. In 1842, he was approached by German director Ludwig Tieck (who translated the play for a premiere production at his Potsdam Theatre) to write an incidental score for specific passages in the play. Their collaboration became a hallmark of German Romantic theatre, and from 1843 until the mid-twentieth century, Mendelssohn's score became inseparable from many productions of the play. Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree's production of Midsummer ushered in the twentieth century with 220,000 Londoners feasting their eyes on a lavish display of Victorian pictorial stagecraft that included fairies illuminated by battery-operated lights. The critics were rhapsodic, reporting: "No spectacle equally artistic has been seen on the English stage. … a marvel of scenic illusion." "No scene has ever been put upon the stage more beautiful than the wood near Athens.

… with a carpet of thyme and wild-flowers, brakes and thickets full of blossom, and a background seen through the tall trees, of the pearly dawn or the deep hues of the night sky." In an effort to move away from the pictorial realism of the past century and recapture the essence of Shakespeare's play, Harley Granville Barker's 1915 modern production returned focus to the text with a symbolist set design with curtains, pillars and orientalized costumes inspired by Léon Bakst, designer for Diaghilev's Ballets Russes. Combining the spare with the lavish, the fairies' bodies and costumes were covered in gold-leaf and Mendelssohn's score was replaced with English folk music. German producer/director Max Reinhardt staged Midsummer thirteen times across Europe between 1905 and 1934 in a variety of styles and venues that culminated in an outdoor version at the Hollywood Bowl in 1934 in which a torchlight procession descended to the stage from the Hollywood Hills for the grand wedding celebration in the play's final act.

On the strength of this production, Warner Brothers signed Reinhardt to direct a film version (1935), starring James Cagney as Bottom, Mickey Rooney as Puck, Joe E. Brown as Flute and Olivia de Havilland as Hermia. Peter Brook's landmark 1970 Royal Shakespeare Company production left behind all manner of previous Midsummer productions. The actors, costumed in bright silks, performed circus tricks, Indian chants, flamenco guitar and spun paper plates in a brilliantly lit, curtainless white box set in which nothing was hidden and everything was revealed. The actors moved like circus acrobats, juggling and tumbling about the set and performing scenes on trapezes. With fresh insight and reverence for Shakespeare's text, Brook brought new life to Midsummer with a sense of fun, sensuality and wonder. The power of Shakespeare's language in A Midsummer Night's Dream inspires artists to defy the limits of literal representation and transform any playing space into their own vision of the story. Perhaps it is the quintessential play that inspires not only artists, but audiences, to dream.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream Study Guide | GradeSaver Buy Study Guide A Midsummer Night's Dream is first mentioned by Francis Meres in 1598, leading many scholars to date the play between 1594 and 1596. It is likely to have been written around the same period Romeo and Juliet was created. Indeed, many similarities exist between the two plays, so much that A Midsummer Night's Dream at times seems likely to degenerate into the same tragic ending that befalls Romeo and Juliet. The play was first printed in quarto in 1600, following its entry into the Stationer's Register on October 8, 1600. This quarto is almost surely taken directly from a manuscript written by Shakespeare. A second quarto was printed in 1619 (and falsely backdated to 1600) and attempted to correct some of the errors in the first printing, but also introduced several new errors. It is the second quarto which served as the basis for the First Folio in 1623. There is a myth that A Midsummer Night's Dream was first performed for a private audience after an actual wedding had taken place.

The play's three wedding and play-within-a-play Pyramus and Thisbe certainly would seem to fit the scene, with all the newlyweds retiring to their respective chambers at the end. However, no evidence of this imagined performance exists. Rather, A Midsummer Night's Dream was definitely performed on the London stage by the Lord Chamberlain's Men, and the title page of the first Quarto indicates it was written by William Shakespeare . The title draws on the summer solstice, Midsummer Eve, occurring June 23 and marked by holiday partying and tales of fairies and temporary insanity. Shakespeare cleverly weaves together not only fairies and lovers, but also social hierarchies with the aristocratic Theseus and the "rude mechanicals," or the artisans and working men. This allows the play to become infinitely more lyrical, since it is able to draw on the more brutal language of the lower classes as well as the poetry of the noblemen. One of the more interesting changes which Shakespeare introduces is the concept of small, kind fairies. Robin Goodfellow, the spirit known as Puck, is thought to have once been feared by villagers.

History indicates the prior to Elizabethan times, fairies were considered evil spirits who stole children and sacrificed them to the devil. Shakespeare, along with other writers, redefined fairies during this time period, turning them into gentle, albeit mischievous, spirits. The final act of the play, completely unnecessary in relation to the rest of the plot, brings to light a traditional fear of the Elizabethan theater, namely that of censorship. Throughout the play the lower artisans, who wish to perform Pyramus and Thisbe, try to corrupt the plot and assure the audience that the play is not real and that they need not fear the actions taking place. This culminates in the actual ending, in which Puck suggests that if we do not like the play, then we should merely consider it to have been a dream. One of the most remarkable features of A Midsummer Night's Dream is that at the end members of the audience are unsure whether what they have seen is real, or whether they have woken up after having shared the same dream. This is of course precisely what Shakespeare wants to make clear, namely that the theater is nothing more than a shared dream.

Hence the constant interruption of that dream in the Pyramus and Thisbe production, which serves to highlight the artificial aspect of the theater. Bottom and his company offer us not only Pyramus and Thisbe as a product of our imagination, but the entire play as well. Puck's suggestion hides a more serious aspect of the comic fun of the play. There is deep underlying sexual tension between the male and female characters, witnessed by Oberon 's attempts to humiliate Titania and Theseus' conquest of Hippolyta . This tension is rapidly dissipated by the sure solution which the play assumes, making it seem less real. However, the darker side of the play should not be ignored, nor the rapid mobility with which the actors transfer their amorous desires from one person to the other. A Midsummer Night's Dream - The Rude Mechanicals A Midsummer Night's Dream Directions at Sign-ups will begin at 9:30am in the lobby. General auditions at 10AM, Callbacks at 2PM that afternoon. The Rude Mechanicals are re-interpreting Shakespeare's classic in a modern setting.

The play is about the nature of love however fleeting, fragile, or passionate that emotion resonates in the characters. A fashionable nightclub frames their tales of love and lust with music and dance. The result will be an ambitious blend of modern culture and the Bard's brilliant poetry. No monologues please. Part of the audition will consist of movement and improv exercises. Please come prepared to move (ie. Wear loose clothing, tennis shoes or flats). Performance dates are May 4-6; May 12-14; May 18-20. Rehearsals begin Monday, February 27th. For more information you may email the director at ty@rudemechanicals.com . Character sketches THE FAIRIES (All work at Club Solstice) Oberon (male, mid to late 30s): Older than the crowd he caters to, owns several Clubs throughout Athens, but Solstice is the most infamous and his personal favorite. Is controlling, keeps a close eye on his accounts, an even closer one on his staff. Puck is his right hand and the only one with whom he shares his vulnerability. His marriage to Titania was political, one for the headlines to further draw in business.

But he finds his inability to tame her increasingly frustrating. She is the one thing over which he has no control and yet he can’t afford to lose her. He is in love with her despite himself and dares not to dwell on the fact that she is in it for the fame. The two butt heads often; she is willful and stubborn. It is only when Oberon lets his guard down and loosens his grip that she really looks his way and begins to love him too. Titania (female, late 20s): The lead dancer at Solstice, the one the Club pays to entice the crowd. She’s been in it a long time. Every night is just another performance. Left home at an early age, is a Club girl professional at this point. She knows all the tricks and she’s not afraid to dole them out. She’s manipulative, fierce, spoiled and emotionally closed up. She never lets anyone see her “off.” Oberon was a prize to be won on her way up the ladder. But she is slowly finding he matches her in pride and ferocity. It is not easy to get away from his watchful controlling eye and she resents it.

Puck (female, mid 20s-mid 30s): The head bartender and the catalyst of the confusion. She is an imp, watching the scene from her bar. Quietly and mischievously observant until the moment things must be set into motion. She is an agitator, but not suspect to the normal club crowd. The dancers know her shtick and don’t trust her. She is resented for her closeness to Oberon, but even he is played by Puck. Puck is in it for the fun. She loves to watch worlds collide; she loves drama, she loves to be a bystander watching other people’s follies. She is quite pleased with herself for the chaos she creates over the course of this play. Peaseblossom Cobweb ----------> male/female, 20s-early 30s, club dancers Moth ---------->male/female, 20s-early 30s, club dancers Mustardseed THE LOVERS (Residents of Athens) Helena (female, late 20s to mid 30s): The nicest and most real of all the characters. The audience must and will root for her.

Older than Hermia. More knowledgeable on the nature of love. Less naïve, but still insecure. She’s been around the block and she knows the game. She is stunning, but she’s been hurt, badly, and she’s a shell of her former confident self. Despite this, she believes in Demetrius when no one else around her can see why, but she will not play his game. She will not give into his bratiness. She is a steady force to his constant shape shifting and subtly challenges him to become a man. Hermia: (female, early to mid 20s): Cute, spunky and irresistibly bratty. She is not malicious or out to hurt Helena. She genuinely does care about her, but she can’t see much further than her romance with Lysander. She’s all caught up in it. Naively rebellious, she sets out for the club having no idea what lies ahead of her. Her only wish is to escape with Lysander no matter what the consequences. She can be very bold until confronted with reality. Lysander (male, late 20s to early 30s): The more romantic of the two men.

A sensitive writer, bookworm. He was the dormitory resident assistant, the guy always there to help fix your computer, a shoulder to cry on. Somewhat of a big teddy bear, he’s still passionate and charismatic enough to score with the ladies. He woo’d Hermia over a scorching game of Scrabble. Though the two have been secretly together for a while, they’ve yet to sleep together and the experienced Lysander is eager to consummate the relationship. Demetrius (male, late 20s to early 30s): The college frat boy that never grew up. He is rich, spoiled, competitive and sees Hermia as a prize to be won. Only Helena draws out the good in him. She holds the mirror up to his face and lovingly shuts him up. He walks away from her in frustration, but in that moment knows she is right. (THEIR GUARDIANS/ATTENDENTS/GOVERNMENT FIGURES) Theseus (male, late 40s to late 50s): The Rockefeller/Trump of Athens. His family has the name, the fortune and the power.

He does/did not frequent the Club scene preferring to socialize in stodgy mens’ clubs and at tennis matches. He’s a philanthropist of the symphony and fine arts. He’s often found on the golf course with his entourage in tow. Despite his classic tastes and love of the finer things in life, Theseus is a kind soul to those different from him. He’s compassionate when it counts even if he’s a bear in the boardroom. He appreciates common courtesy and a direct approach. He’s also one to reinterpret the law as and when he sees fit and he’s been known for several scandalous affairs (including a rumored liaison with Tatiana). His marriage to Hippolyta is his second and he’s looking forward to a large and pompous ceremony. Hippolyta (female, late 20s to late 30s): Exquisitely beautiful. Athens ‘Old Money’. A real ‘princess’ with amazing grace, think Audrey Hepburn or Grace Kelly. She and Oberon carried on a secret courtship for years before she was promised in marriage to Theseus.

Societal strains and her family’s lack of support drew her away from him and she hasn’t seen him since he married Titania. Still, there is a deep kinship between the two and the sadness from having to choose duty over Oberon is evident in her. Philostrate (male/female, mid 20s) : Smart and eager to please. Knows how to work his connections and climb up Athens’ social ladder. Child of a prominent Athenian--often spotted working the crowd during Theseus’ grand parties. Partied many times with the crew at Solstice, but takes his job as Executive Assistant to Theseus with a soberness well beyond his years. Egeus (male, late 50s) –City councilman, has been involved in political circles since he graduated from college. Hermia is his only child and his one shot to achieve the fame and power and glory that so far, he feels has eclipsed him. Unbeknownst to him, he is regarded by Athens upper echelon as a bit of a bumbling bore with little to no self-awareness.

Egeus, however, has no perspective outside of his own and can only see dollar signs and a shortcut to prominence when he considers Demetrius’ offer to marry Hermia. (THE RUDE MECHANICALS—Work 2nd job as security at Club Solstice) Bottom/Pyramus (male, late 20s, early 30s) Loud and driven by other’s attention, Bottom works his nights as a Bouncer for Solstice. He’s a bit of a lush, always mildly buzzed with his flask just out of sight for private sippings. Despite this, he is endearing and his co-horts enjoy working with him. If for no other reason then he never fails to make a hard’s night work lively and entertaining. Unfortunately, his simplicity and over enthusiasm for everything means he’s an easy target for Puck and the other Fairies, and he’s often the butt of their jokes. Flute/Thisbe (male, 20s) Works the front door at Solstice on Friday and Saturday night. Mild mannered but sweet, he’s Bottom’s best bud. He doesn’t mind that he’s often overpowered by Bottom’s exuberance.

Snout/Wall (male/female 20s-40s) Grumpy and often put upon. Snout is constantly asked for favors and constantly does them in order that everyone knows exactly how hard she is working. Snug/Lion (male/female 20s-40s) Shy and sweet. Best friend of Starveling and often in his shadow. Snug doesn’t mind. She prefers being ‘the quiet type.’ She doesn’t want anyone in on her secrets. Starveling/Moonshine (male/female 20s-40s) Pothead. Works at Solstice because it’s an easy way to score the dough and the connections he needs to collect his weekly stash of weed. Easygoing and laidback. Never worries about the play even though he has no experience performing in front of a live audience. Quince/Prologue (male/female, 40s) Manager for Security/Front Door/Cashiers, Quince has been Oberon’s employee for a while. He’s looking to make his mark and the play for Theseus’ comes around at just the right time.

He knows he’ll never be as financially powerful or well-known as Oberon, but with this play, he can attribute a tiny bit of success to himself. He’s not a bully though upon appearance you might judge him that way. Audition sides I won thy love, doing thee injuries — Theseus A Midsummer Night’s Dream - Central Park - Theater - The New York Times The New York Times Theater Reviews |A Rude Mechanical’s Dream Search Theater Reviews | Theater Review | 'A Midsummer Night's Dream A Rude Mechanical’s Dream A Midsummer Night's Dream Closing Date: September 9, 2007 Public Theater - Delacorte Theater, Central Park 212-967-7555 Continue reading the main story A jaunty assortment of parlor magician’s tricks ornament the fast and funny “Midsummer Night’s Dream” that opened last night at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park. There are traditional acts of legerdemain with bright scarves, floating balls and luminous flowers. But the real magic happens when the bad actors take over.

I’m talking about those Athenian tradesmen called the rude mechanicals, six rough-hewn fellows who want nothing so much as to put on a play at their king’s nuptial celebration. They have no discernible talents or graces. Yet when they are finally allowed their big, blundering moment onstage, their ineptitude transforms what has been mostly little more than an amiable summer night’s diversion into a radiant dream of the possibilities of theater. The prospect of another visit from the amateur troupe run by the carpenter Peter Quince ( Tim Blake Nelson ) doesn’t always gladden the hearts of theatergoers. Quince and his associates, who include Bottom (a wonderful Jay O. Sanders), an unstoppable ham, embody the low comedy in a play of high whimsy. People with an allergy to Shakespeare ’s comic yokels — and there are many so afflicted — often regard Quince and company’s dramatic activities with the same resigned and weary spirit that the play’s royal wedding guests do. Like some shape-shifting fairy “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” changes form and colors every time it is produced.

Different aspects of the plot step forward to become, as it were, the lead singer, to let you know what the play is truly about. And in this instance it’s the rude mechanicals who remind us of the mysterious and exalting powers of make-believe, as well as the thrills and dangers of live theater. Advertisement Continue reading the main story The rest of this production, which runs through Sept. 9, is pretty entertaining but without similar epiphanies. As is usually the case with Shakespeare in the Park, where the clashing styles of the performances suggest a fallen Tower of Babel, the emphasis is less on consistency of interpretation than on making the most of individual jokes and vignettes. And like a good party host, the protean director, Daniel Sullivan , whose credits range from “The Heidi Chronicles” to “Stuff Happens,” provides plenty to please the eye and tickle the fancy. Continue reading the main story The look of this “Dream” is Victorian, as if the artist Arthur Rackham had confused assignments to illustrate Charles Dickens and the Brothers Grimm and wound up blending them together. The set designer Eugene Lee has whipped up a glorious blasted tree, garlanded in ivy, to serve as the center of fairy society.

Ann Hould-Ward’s luscious costumes are big on bustles, bonnets and swallowtails. And the chorus of fairies who serve their queen, Titania (Laila Robins), are played, as in the days of Granville-Barker and Beerbohm Tree, by a phalanx of charming (and slightly menacing) children. Photo Keith David, left, Laila Robins and Jay O. Sanders in "A Midsummer Night's Dream" in Central Park. Credit Sara Krulwich/The New York Times As for what the Victorian trappings signify beyond decorative appeal, I’m not sure. The first scene, with the duke Theseus (an urban-droll Daniel Oreskes) and his captive Amazonian bride, Hippolyta (Opal Alladin), would seem to be about the social imprisonment of women. But that conceit is soon discarded. Basically those 19th-century get-ups exist so that the play’s four central young lovers can tear them off one another, layer by layer.

This ecdysis is performed by Mireille Enos (as Hermia), Austin Lysy (Lysander), Martha Plimpton (Helena) and Elliot Villar (Demetrius) with a bruising athletic vigor that reminds us that football season is nigh. The Athenian maidens dominate; they’re bossier and louder than the boys. And the quartet’s romp in the woods, while amusing, seems more about mastering slapstick than about discovering the nature of love. Ms. Robins too strips down to her underwear (a glittering black corset), and she also belongs to the louder-is-better school of Shakespeare. But her Titania is a piquant presence, a Pre-Raphaelite vision with the soul of a C.E.O., and her unseemly, belly-laughing enjoyment of her ass-eared lover (the transformed Bottom) is infectious. In this “Dream” Oberon ( Keith David ) and Puck (Jon Michael Hill), the fairy king and his minion, are top-hatted music-hall wand wavers. They are stylish figures who nicely convey the detached amusement of otherworldly creatures watching mortals being fools. Mr.

David’s performance doesn’t assume depth until near the end of the play. Watching his Titania in the arms of the animal-headed lover he tricked her into falling for, Oberon says soberly, “Her dotage now I do begin to pity.” Mr. David delivers that line with a wakened self-knowledge that cracks like a whip. And for a second this “Dream” acquires a taste of genuine emotional truth that makes you shiver. But there is better still to come, when the amateur actors are reunited. I had warmed to these awkward fellows in their earlier scenes. What happens in the royal wedding-night performance of the mechanicals’ play of “tragical mirth,” the woeful tale of Pyramus and Thisbe, puts the stars in your eyes. Photo Keith David as Oberon and Laila Robins as Titania at the Delacorte Theater. Credit Sara Krulwich/The New York Times This play within the play becomes a rich comic catalog of the pains and pleasures of working in the theater, as well as of the varieties of amateur acting, from the limelight-drunk to the stage-frightened, from actor-manager grandeur to raging Method. Advertisement Continue reading the main story In addition to Mr.

Sanders and Mr. Nelson, this choice company includes Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Ken Cheeseman, Jason Antoon and Keith Randolph Smith. And as they stumble through their memorized lines and artificial movements, occasionally interrupted by unwanted commentary from their onstage audience, they brim with a warm, hopeful eagerness and uncertainty that brings tears. Yes, they’re hilariously incompetent. But more than in any other version of this vignette that I have seen, their performance becomes a sublime, funny valentine to the agony and ecstasy, the power and powerlessness, experienced by actors on a stage. Please verify you're not a robot by clicking the box. Invalid email address. Please re-enter. You must select a newsletter to subscribe to. Sign Up Privacy Policy Mr. Sanders’s face at the end of the mechanicals’ play is flush with the awe and excitement of someone who feels he has been part of a miracle. Suddenly the wonder of the magical events Bottom experienced in the Athenian wood are melded into and transformed by the magic of theater. When the entire company comes on to sing Puck’s concluding monologue (to an ethereal melody by Dan Moses Schreier), we are primed to pay homage to the bravery of all actors, good and bad.

What we have witnessed may be, as Puck says, “no more yielding but a dream.” But thanks to Mr. Sanders and associates, we have been allowed the privilege of briefly inhabiting the passionate dream of those whose business is theater. A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM By William Shakespeare ; directed by Daniel Sullivan ; sets by Eugene Lee; costumes by Ann Hould-Ward; lighting by Michael Chybowski; music by Dan Moses Schreier; sound by Acme Sound Partners; choreography by David Neumann; production stage manager, James Latus; general manager, Nicki Genovese; associate producers, Peter Dubois and Mandy Hackett; director of production, Ruth E. Sternberg. Presented by the Public Theater, Oskar Eustis, artistic director; Mara Manus, executive director. Shakespeare in the Park, at the Delacorte Theater, Central Park; (212) 539-8750. Through Sept. 9. Running time: 2 hours 40 minutes.

WITH: Opal Alladin (Hippolyta), Jason Antoon (Tom Snout), Ken Cheeseman (Robin Starveling), Keith David (Oberon), Mireille Enos (Hermia), Jesse Tyler Ferguson (Francis Flute), Herb Foster (Philostrate), Jon Michael Hill (Puck/Robin Goodfellow), Austin Lysy (Lysander), George Morfogen (Egeus), Tim Blake Nelson (Peter Quince), Daniel Oreskes (Theseus), Martha Plimpton (Helena), Laila Robins (Titania), Jay O. Sanders (Nick Bottom), Keith Randolph Smith (Snug) and Elliot Villar (Demetrius). A Midsummer Night's Dream

Question: What is the name of the play performed by the rude mechanicals in A Midsummer Night's Dream?
Answer: PYRAMUS AND THISBE